Our Journey To Charlie & Levi...

After 17yrs of marriage and "8" amazing children, God has continued to keep the fire for adoption burning in our hearts. Crazy?... Maybe?!?! But....Doesn't God call all of us to do CRAZY things for him? Isn't that what it means to Live for Christ? To make a difference ONE orphan at a time. So after months of praying that this little guy would find a forever family, he FINALLY has!! OUR FAMILY!! Join us as we pray, cry, fill out mounds of paperwork & fundraise to bring our son home. We give God all the glory for choosing to adopt us & for giving us the opportunity to Choose Charlie...And because we could not get Zhora(Levi) off our minds and God obviously placed him in our hearts... We're bringing him home too!!

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

After working as a nurse and seeing CPS place children in foster homes far away from their own community, and hearing David Platt (Radical) share his story of how his faith family willingly opened their hearts & their homes so that every child in "The System" in their county would have a family. I see the same HUGE need RIGHT HERE.....Wow!!! 260 children found families just like that because of families willingness to do what God asked them to do!!! Amazing!!! The following are the statistics for "OUR COMMUNITY" as of Aug. 31st 2010.........5,800: Texas children in foster care system who are eligible for adoption77: Children in foster care system from Midland County154: Children in foster care system from Ector County(Odessa)84: Children from Ector County sent to foster homes in another region44: Children from the region living in an emergency shelter

These children are NOT statistics, they are God's Children.....

"Once our eyes are opened, we can't pretend we don't know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows that we know, and holds us responsible to act" ~Proverbs 24:12

**This Article is from the front page of the Nov 29th issue of the Midland Telegram Reporter**

Stephanie Green’s family just became a little bigger. The single mother of three spent the summer becoming a certified foster parent and a few weeks ago welcomed 10- and 6-year-old siblings. The schoolteacher already is raising a 15-, 11- and 10-year-old of her own. “We’re trusting God on this journey, and we’re excited to see where he takes us,” Green said. “I just feel sure they’re going to bless our lives more than we bless theirs.” Like other parents in the area, Green said she became interested in fostering after she realized how much need there was in Texas, particularly in the Permian Basin. Of the 631 foster children in the region as of Aug. 30, 385 — or more than 61 percent — were placed in homes outside of Region 9, according to the most recent data available from the Department of Family and Protective Services. Region 9 includes about 23 West Texas counties such as Midland, Ector, Gaines, Upton, Howard and Tom Green counties. In Midland-Odessa, 54.5 percent of children taken from the custody of their parents as of Aug. 30 were sent to homes or group placements in another region, according to DFPS. “We have one of the highest rates of kids being sent elsewhere. We just flat out don’t have enough families,” said John Petree, whose wife HollyAnn runs the adoption agency Addy’s Hope. Together the couple have four children and are caring for three foster children. To try and combat the issue, Addy’s Hope is holding a “Hope for Christmas: Holiday Tour of Homes” fundraiser on Saturday. Proceeds from the event will go toward paying the fees associated with becoming a foster parent, HollyAnn Petree said. “We have too many churches in Midland-Odessa to have kids living in orphanages,” HollyAnn Petree said. “I don’t think people know there’s a need and that it’s as drastic as it is.” The 15-year-old girl they welcomed this week and hope to adopt in the coming months, for example, has been in 11 placements in several different cities during the last three years. Green’s oldest foster child is in fourth grade and already has been in 20 schools, both because her parents moved around and because her foster placements have been so widespread. “They’re usually behind academically,” Green said. “They don’t know how to communicate their feelings very well; they have trust issues because of what they’ve been through.” When they’re sent to homes outside the region, children are forced to adjust to completely new surroundings, typically have less visitation with their biological parents and may see any siblings placed elsewhere less frequently, HollyAnn Petree said. If they’re closer to their original home, children have a better chance of getting through the process much smoother, whether it be through adoption or reunification with their mothers or fathers. “There’s a huge, huge need. You see little people not only being taken out of home, but being taken out of the area,” said Kellie Goss, who is a foster parent to two infants along with her husband Shannan. “We just need more families to stand in the gap.” Goss said one of their foster children is able to have regular visitations with his mom mostly because they were able to keep him in Midland.Statewide, Child Protective Services is working to improve the rate at which children are able to remain near their home. The agency will release its outline for redesigning the placement system at the close of the year. Even with a new system, the Petrees said there just aren’t enough families in Midland-Odessa. They’re hoping Addy’s Hope will help improve those numbers by covering some of the “hidden costs” associated with becoming foster parents. It’s those costs, they say, that can delay the process of parents being able to accept kids. To go through the training courses, background checks and other necessary steps typically cost about $500, HollyAnn Petree said. If a home needs a significant improvement to meet state standards, or even just additional smoke detectors and fences, that cost can go up. Still, the parents involved stress that while foster families are needed, it’s a commitment individuals should understand and carefully consider before entering into. -Kathleen Thurber MRT

“On our absolute worst day of dealing with problems and things like that, it is a thousand times worth it when you tuck those little people into bed each night,” Kellie Goss said.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

It has been 6 weeks since the boys arrived in Texas!!!! Seems like they have been here longer... They are both adjusting well & learning more everyday. Charlie now says, MA! and then signs what he wants. He is doing well at school, but very stubborn when he doesn't want to participate anymore. Ha! Sound familiar to anyone??? LOL Levi is acting like he feels much better. His antibiotics were recently changed because his WBC was WAY too low. It has come back up, but is still a little low along with his platelets & blood being low as well. He tires easily, but is totally like a different kids that really feels good!!!! He is still scheduled for surgery Dec. 1st & I will keep everyone updated. please keep him in your prayers. AND..... I promise pictures as soon as my laptop is working again & I can find my pictures. Computer Virus' Stink! Check back soon to hear about how God has BLESSED our family in so many ways over the past weeks!!! It's a crazy life & we are lovin every minute of it!!!!

Monday, November 15, 2010

Ok, It's been a little busy around here lately & then my computer got hacked & had multiple viruses on it:( But thanks to my husband I am Back & my internet is secure. So hopefully no more computer issues!

So much has gone on in the past couple of weeks. First of all I can't believe the boys have been Home 5 weeks already!!! They are both adjusting so well & are learning new things every day. Charlie L-O-V-E's to go to school. Every day we pull up to the car rider line & he signs PLAY and claps his hands and say YAY!!! Puts his backpack on his back, picks up his lunch box and waves bye to Levi & blows him a kiss. Then Levi cries:( Poor little guy. I make 4 stops to drop off kids and he cries everytime someone gets out of the van. lol We are still desperately trying to find something to help Charlie stop putting his entire hand in his mouth & sliming everything & everyone. Suggestions are welcome:) Levi is still getting meds every 6hrs through his picc line. His labs have looked good, but he has had fever for 4 days. They have not been able to find the source, but think it may be viral after he broke out in rash yesterday. He has had a more extensive Echo done on his heart and the infection looks the same, plus he had a small amount of fluid around his heart. But the Good News is the cardiologist thinks he may NOT need heart surgery!!!! It actually looks like there is a super thin membrane across the VSD. So he will continue to monitor him until after his oral surgery and then decide if he will need any intervention. Currently, he is scheduled to have surgery on Dec. 1st. The ENT will remove his tonsils, adenoids, and put tubes in his ears.(this is being done now to help the sleep apnea & get ride of infection) Then the Dentist will follow him to surgically remove his remaining rotten teeth. It will not be fun:( Please pray for these docs and especially for the anethesiologist that will be attending the surgery. He will spend at least one night in the hospital and then hopefully heal quickly and feel like a new man! What a good little patient he has become. He know's the routine now; holds his arm out, lets them do whatever they need to do. I am so proud of him!

Help Us Raise Money So Another family can BRING THIS PRECIOUS ONE HOME!!!

Our Goal To RANSOM Charlie & Levi

CHARLIE JOSIAH

HELP BRING ME HOME!!!!!

LEVI PRESTON

HELP BRING ME HOME TOO!!!!!

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CHARLIE BRACELETS

ONE HUNDRED YEARS FROM NOW IT WILL NOT MATTER WHAT KIND OF HOUSE I LIVED IN, HOW MUCH MONEY I HAD, NOR WHAT MY CLOTHES WERE LIKE, BUT THE WORLD MAY BE A LITTLE BETTER BECAUSE I WAS IMPORTANT IN THE LIFE OF A CHILD!

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